Pharmaceutical-Related Poisonings in Greenland

Abstract

The Danish Poison Information Centre (DPIC) received 1827 enquiries from Greenland in the period 2007–2022. The risk and the treatment of poisonings in Greenland are potentially different from those in Denmark. The use and availability of medicines, the ethnicity and the vicinity of health care are different in Greenland compared with Denmark. This study examined whether the toxicological profile was different between Denmark and Greenland using DPIC data. The most frequent drug poisoning in Greenland was paracetamol, followed by ibuprofen and quetiapine (6.6, 4.5 and 1.6 enquiries/1000 inhabitants, respectively). There were significantly more serious poisonings in Greenland compared with Denmark (36% vs. 12% moderate or life-threatening poisonings; p = 0.0004). Most of the calls from Greenland to the DPIC came primarily from health care professionals (HCPs). Also, the age groups of the poisoned patients were different in Greenland compared with Denmark. In Denmark, 38% of the enquiries were regarding children aged 0–4, compared with 17% in Greenland. In the age group 20–29 years, 14% came from Denmark and 23% from Greenland. In conclusion, we found an excessive number of calls to the DPIC from HCPs in Greenland with more serious poisonings, primarily with paracetamol, and fewer calls regarding children.